No Couch Potatoes Allowed
Regardless of what kind of small animal you’ve chosen as a pet, you need to give him opportunities to be active so that he’ll stay strong and healthy. Our experienced associates at Pet Supermarket can help you choose appropriate toys and equipment.
Rambunctious Rabbit
Chewing, digging, burrowing, and throwing are all normal rabbit ways of having fun.
- Digging — To prevent bunny destruction caused by digging, introduce him to untreated grass mats and tunnels instead. They’ll make good substitutes for your rugs, carpet, and lawn.
- Burrowing — Rabbits are natural burrowers and live in underground burrows in the wild. Given a chance, your rabbit will try to recreate that habitat in your home or garden. Show him instead the comfort of human-made tunnels, tubes, and nesting dens.
- Chewing — With constantly growing teeth, it’s no wonder rabbits like to chew constantly. It keeps tooth growth in check. But chewing on carpet fibers, electrical cords and certain plants can lead to bunny pain. Offer him any kind of small animal chew instead.
- Throwing — Many rabbits like to throw or toss things as a form of play or getting attention. Rather than playing toss with the food bowl, how about playing with a Toss ’N Chew Celery or a Flip ’N Toss Carrot? These and others toys are perfect for toss-playing bunnies.
Just remember, the more your bunny has to chew, dig, and throw, the less likely he is to get into trouble around the house! Visit Pet Supermarket for chewable and throwable items for your bunny.
Happy Healthy Gerbils
Keep an Eye Open
Gerbils are sociable, curious, clean, and robust animals. If you spend a lot of time with your pet, then it is likely that you would soon notice if anything were wrong. Observe what your gerbil is doing at least once a day Here are just a few things to look for:
- Ailments — Respiratory infections, seizures, diarrhea, parasites. For these potentially serious problems you and your gerbil need to see a vet.
- Sore or Red Nose — This is rather common in gerbils. The nose can get bald, red, sore, and look bloody. This is usually caused by an allergy to the bedding, so the first thing to do is change the bedding material. Aspen, corn cob, or a paper-based bedding work well. If the nose is so badly irritated that there is also a bacterial infection, a topical antibiotic such as Neosporin can be applied twice a day.
Love That Wheel!
Many gerbils love their exercise wheel and will run in it throughout the day or night. For some gerbils a 6-8 inch wheel works best. Each gerbil usually expresses his own personality when it comes to toys, so experiment with different kinds. Our associates can give you suggestions.
Free Time!
Gerbils that get a lot of contact will run up your arm, sit on your shoulder, sniff your ear, and crawl happily all over you, their human jungle gym. If gerbils are trained well, they will behave outside the cage, and even sit on your head (if you like that)! Use some treats to reward good behavior when the gerbil is out of the cage, and then move to extending the time the gerbil is outside, while decreasing the treats.
Playful Ferrets
Fun Fun Fun
Playful, inquisitive and smart, ferrets are entertaining to watch and are much loved by their owners. Learning how to handle a ferret’s long, agile body in different situations is important. Here’s how:
How to Hold
Place your hand under his chest to support his upper body. Use your other hand to support his hind end. Never hold a ferret by his head, legs, or tail.
Hi, Stranger!
If you’re not sure how your ferret will react to strangers (or how they will react to him), it’s best to cradle your ferret with one hand and arm, leaving the other free to protect him. Hold him firmly with your hand under his chest and the rest of his body lying along your arm. He might wrap his legs around your forearm for stability. Hold him facing towards you or away from you, depending on his comfort level with strangers.
“Scruffing”
In the wild, a female ferret may hold her young by the scruff of the neck to discipline them. The same technique can be used at home. Use your thumb and first two fingers to grasp the loose skin at the back of the ferret’s neck right below his head. Hold him firmly, but gently. When held this way, ferrets will usually relax, go limp, and may even yawn. Don’t hold one by the scruff for long without supporting his hind quarters.
Ferrets can be quite mischievous, so handling one properly will ensure his safety and that of others. For expert advice, visit a Pet Supermarket near you.
